A Morning Routine You'll ACTUALLY Do
First, let’s do a little bit of myth-busting, shall we?
I feel like in the personal development space, fancy morning routines are the holy grail…the end all be all. And I can say that from my own experience, having a morning routine that supports me is incredibly life-giving and equips me to show up as the best wife, business owner, friend, etc.
But here’s where I’m busting myths…your morning routine doesn’t need to be 2 hours long to support you. It doesn’t need to be aesthetically pleasing to support you. And it doesn’t have to look the exact same every day to support you. When I think about and teach morning routines, I am coming from a place of saying that how you start the day has the potential to set the tone for the rest of your day. You know how when you do a workout and eat a healthy breakfast in the morning it makes you want to eat healthier the rest of the day? Like you feel good about your morning choices and you want to keep making choices that support you? Whereas if you eat 3 donuts for breakfast you’re more likely to be like,” Ehhh, I already ate a donut so I may as well have Chick-fil-A for lunch!”It’s a momentum thing – once we get the ball rolling in one direction, our minds tend to want to keep the ball rolling in that direction.
So instead of viewing a morning routine as this huge, magical, has-to-be-perfect thing, just view it as a tool to help you intentionally step into the day so that you’re more likely to take ownership of your thoughts and actions for the rest of the day. It creates a solid mental foundation for the day. Having a morning routine that supports you is a way to set yourself up for a solid mental health day. But it’s not the only way to have a good mental health day so don’t view it as this pressure-filled thing either. To be honest, I don’t do mine every single morning but I still reap the benefits of it because I’m consistently doing it 5-6 days a week. It’s like not going to the gym every single day – you’re not going to lose muscle because you don’t go every day. Since you go most days and you’re consistent about that, the days you don’t go aren’t taking away from the days you do, make sense? So think about your morning routine as an investment in your mindset. Something that adds up the more you do it and benefits you when you’re consistent with it.
Think about your morning routine as an investment in your mindset. Something that adds up the more you do it and benefits you when you’re consistent with it.
Morning routines should:
Support your season, be intentionally curated for YOU, make you feel calm and grounded and free up your time and energy.
Morning routines should change when your season changes. Routines are not set in stone but evolve with you to support you. I know for a fact my mornings are going to look entirely different when baby comes in December. And I’m excited about that because I know that when that season is here, I’ll figure out what kind of support I need in the mornings and make a routine that gives me that support.
Morning routines should Not:
Feel like just another thing to do, be filled with ambiguous tasks, make you feel overwhelmed or box you in.
Before I share my favorite framework for creating a morning routine, I want to chat about why we sometimes struggle to stick to a morning routine. After working with thousands of women over the last almost 4 years to help them create routines that support them, I’ve boiled it down to 4 main reasons why people don’t stick to their morning routine:
01. We think that once we have a morning routine that works for us, we have to keep it the same forever.
02. We copy other people’s routines that “look good” but that aren’t actually relevant to our lives/our vision.
03. You’re not clear on the intention behind your morning routine and the tasks feel arbitrary.
04. Your morning routine is cluttered and/or confusing.
So if hearing one of those triggered you a little bit – sit with that and explore it because it could be why you haven’t found a morning routine that really supports you. I’ve worked with students and clients that are teachers, 9-5ers, moms, business owners, homemakers, or a combo of all of those roles and I can 100% tell you that everyone has time for a morning routine. Period.
When I was in the busiest season of my life - grad school and working 3 jobs, I had a morning routine because it’s what helped me have the mental capacity to show up for all of those things. So if you’ve always told yourself that you don’t have time for a morning routine – that is on you and a mindset shift needs to happen. All you need is 15 minutes for a super solid start to your day. Everyone can make that happen.
Now that we’ve talked about why morning routines matter (but how they aren’t this big, complicated, magical thing either) let’s chat about the Hustle Sanely Morning MAPPING routine.
It’s made up of the components that make up the morning routine framework that I follow no matter what season of life I’m in. These components can be done in different ways based on what you need, how you learn and process best, and what your current season looks like.
MAPPING is an acronym that stands for:
Meditate
Affirm
Pray/Position
Picture your day
Intentions
Needs check-in
Gratitude
The components that make up the MAPPING routine are curated and intentional and can change your life if you take them seriously and do them consistently. I refer to each component as a practice because they are things that you will get better at the more you do them. The cool thing is, that some of the components can be done in conjunction with another.
To effectively incorporate all of the components into a morning routine, I recommend at least 15-20 minutes. If you don’t have 15-20 minutes to dedicate to self-care each morning, consider evaluating your current priorities and if you’re in a season of life where you have to split it up, that is okay! If you have a newborn, maybe you break this up over the course of a nap time or two! Around here, we view our morning routine as self-care hygiene. And just like with physical hygiene like showering and brushing your teeth, you don’t question if you should do it, you do it because you know it keeps you healthy, you feel me?
Alright, as you know, we’re all about concrete examples here, so let’s walk through each letter of the MAPPING acronym and I’ll tell you how I do it and give you some other ideas for how you can do it. Annnnd lemme just tell you now, I actually do the acronym backward…so it’s GNIPPAM but MAPPING is a lot catchier than GNIPPAM so that’s why I teach it as MAPPING, lol. K, so that being said, let’s get into it:
MAPPING: Gratitude
What it is: Gratitude is a state more than a feeling. Positive psychology defines gratitude in a way where scientists can measure its effects, and argue that gratitude is more than feeling thankful: it is a deeper appreciation for someone (or something) that produces longer-lasting positivity. Operating from a state of gratitude is something that happens deep within you when you choose to consciously focus on the blessings in your life. People tend to think that when expressing gratitude, the things have to be monumental. Get in the habit of expressing gratitude for all things.
Why it matters: Studies have shown that practicing gratitude can:
Increase happiness
Improve self-control
Improve optimism
Deepen relationships
Improve mental and physical health.
How Jess does it: Every morning in the Peacefully Productive Journal™, I write a list of things that I am grateful for because there is a section on the morning journal page for a gratitude list. Since this is a daily practice for me, as I’m going through my days, I am constantly looking for things to be grateful for because I know the next morning, I’ll be writing them down. When we look for things to be grateful for, we find things to be grateful for. Just the same as when we look for things to complain about, we find things to complain about. Gratitude goes hand in hand with having an abundance mindset.
Other ideas to do it:
As you are making your morning coffee, mentally list a few things you are grateful for.
On your way to work, call someone and encourage them, letting them know you are grateful for the relationship you have with them.
When you receive something you are grateful for, think or say, “Thank you! More please!” -- pausing to actually acknowledge things helps me remember things that I want to record in my journal.
MAPPING: Needs Check-In
What it is: Doing a check-in with yourself to make sure your basic needs are being met and to assess how you are doing.
Why it matters: When we intentionally take the time to check in with ourselves, instead of just going through our day-to-day motions, we are able to identify unhealthy habits, thoughts, and/or actions that we are doing (consciously or subconsciously). Things can go unnoticed if we don’t specifically assess and process them.We can also identify deficits in our self-care practices (drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, fueling our bodies well, moving our bodies, setting healthy boundaries, etc.). Checking in with ourselves daily keeps us from living in autopilot mode and gives us the chance to best honor our energy.
Staying in tune with your emotions and mental health can:
Boost resilience
Lower anxiety
Point you toward activities that make you happy
How Jess does it: Every morning in the Peacefully Productive Journal™, I use the sleep tracker, and how I feel mentally and physically prompts to take inventory of how I’m feeling each morning before I get going with my day.
Other ideas to do it:
While you’re showering in the morning, do a full body scan. Start at your head and work your way down to your feet. Check in with how you feel physically and mentally as you work your way down.
Go on a morning walk without listening to anything and let your mind process the day before so that it doesn’t bog you down today.
Follow a guided meditation that is focused on doing a self-check-in/assessment.
MAPPING: Intentions
What it is: Intention- a mental state that represents a commitment to carrying out an action or actions in the future. Intention involves mental activities such as planning and forethought.
Why it matters: Setting an intention in the morning gives you something to refer back to throughout the day that you can use an anchor when you need a reminder as to why you are doing the things that you are doing. Or you can think of your daily intention as a lighthouse, always bringing you back to being on track if you get derailed. Setting and living your intentions allows you to recognize and live your values, and to raise your emotional energy.
Intentions remind you of your purpose, as well as the motivation to achieve your purpose. Setting intentions is helpful because they:
Keep you centered
Hold you accountable
Help you stay focused
Setting an intention is making a commitment to yourself. To achieve your goals, you need to identify the steps that will get you from point A to point B. To stay committed to those steps, you need the right focus and mindset to get you there.
Without the right mindset, it’s easy to get distracted or talk yourself out of your goals. That’s why you need an intention. It’s a reminder of what you’re capable of. It helps you not be swayed by your thoughts when they try to convince you that other things are more important.
How Jess does it: Every morning in the Peacefully Productive Journal™, I flip to the monthly prep page and I read over my monthly Focus Goal. I don’t care that I “know” it - I like to read it off the page. Then I flip to the guided page for that morning and respond to the “one thing I’m doing to get closer to my goals” prompt. Doing this is a constant reminder of what my main goal is for the month and it holds me accountable to taking daily aligned action toward that goal.
Other ideas to do it:
In your journal, write “Today, I intend to:” and then go on to write what you commit to focusing on that day.
Create an affirmation related to your intention.
MAPPING: Picture Your Day
What it is: Visualization: picturing in your mind the things that you want in your life in detail.
Why it matters: The actual science behind visualization relates to the neural patterns of your brain. As you visualize the things that you want in your life, you create neural patterns the same way as if you had actually done that activity. It’s basically training your brain in how to succeed. The nervous system of your body is stimulated just by thinking about something, even if you have never taken part in the activity before.
Visualization can help you:
Get clear on what you want
Improve your performance (because of focus)
Take control of your thoughts
Activate your subconscious
Builds up your internal motivation
How Jess does it: After I write down what I am doing to get closer to my goals in my Peacefully Productive Journal™, I close my eyes and spend 1-2 minutes visualizing how I want this part of my day to play out. Let me give you an example: Let’s say my aligned action step for my Focus Goal that day is reaching out to potential manufacturers for printing the planners and journals. After writing that down in my journal, I would close my eyes and imagine how I want that task to go. I like to use my 5 senses to help me: I see myself sitting at my desk in my bright, boho office. I feel the soft fabric of my favorite cute loungewear set hugging my body. I taste my creamy iced latte. I smell my beautiful aria diffuser diffusing my favorite oily blend: Northern Lights Black Spruce, Envision, Grapefruit, and Valor. I hear my Hustling Sanely lofi playlist softly playing through my Airpods. I feel the clicking of the keys on my keyboard under the pads of my fingers. I imagine myself feeling at ease as I send proposal inquiries to my dream manufacturers. I imagine feeling a lightness as I press send on each email. I am filled with peace and faith as I wait for the replies.
Other ideas to do it:
During your morning routine, walk yourself through how you want a certain part of your day to go that you are stressing out about.
Think about the goal you are working toward and use your 5 senses to imagine what it is like to have that goal accomplished.
MAPPING: Pray/Position
What it is: Praying: Connecting to God by praising Him, thanking Him, communicating your needs and desires to Him, etc.
Positioning: Engaging in a practice that aligns with your beliefs that positions you to prepare for the day.
Why it matters: Praying and positioning yourself to take aligned action toward your Focus Goal sets you up to go into the day from a place of faith, peace, and abundance rather than fear, chaos, and lack. Prayer and positioning are intentionally setting up your mind to be on guard for the day.
How Jess does it: After I read my Bible in the morning, I spend a few minutes just chatting with God. On the “Notes” page in my Peacefully Productive Journal™, I keep a running list of specific prayer requests that I’m praying for. I also write a daily prayer in my journal on the “On My Heart” page.
Other ideas to do it:
Go on a morning prayer walk.
Do some stretching while you listen to worship music and talk to God.
If you don’t share my faith, communicate with the higher power that you believe in.
MAPPING: Affirm
What it is: Affirmations: the practice of positive thinking -- speaking truth over yourself and your circumstances.
An affirmation is simply a positive statement that can help you challenge and overcome limiting thoughts, rooted in doubt and fear that are holding you back from showing up fully for your life.
Why it matters:
Our thoughts become our words.
Our words become our actions.
Our actions make up our lives.
We have to take ownership of these things. It is our responsibility to speak life over ourselves. What we focus on grows. Think of speaking affirmations over your life like watering a garden to help it thrive. If you pour poison on a plant, it’s going to wither away. If you pour water on a plant, it’s going to grow and thrive. Your words have that same power in your life! I view affirmations as my fuel for growth.
How Jess does it: I grab my Peacefully Productive Journal™ and flip open to the monthly prep page. I read my monthly affirmation (out loud) before I start my journaling practice for the morning. My monthly affirmation is something that I write based on something that I am trying to improve or overcome from the month before. I call it my anchor affirmation because it’s like a theme for my month. I also write an affirmation every day based on what kind of support I need – in the updated version of the Peacefully Productive Journal™ there is a spot on the morning guided page to write a daily affirmation.
Other ideas to do it:
Say positive affirmations when you’re driving to work.
Use an app that gives you positive affirmations to repeat and use that to help guide you in starting an affirmations practice.
MAPPING: Meditate
What it is: Meditation: a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person. It’s about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgment. And eventually, you may start to better understand them as well.
Why it matters: According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation helps with our emotional well-being. Specifically, it can help with:
Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
Building skills to manage your stress
Increasing self-awareness
Focusing on the present
Reducing negative emotions
Increasing imagination and creativity
Increasing patience and tolerance
How Jess does it: Once I finish up my morning routine, I end with a 3-minute meditation. I just sit with my eyes closed and let everything I read and wrote sink in. It’s time to process what I just did.
Other ideas to do it:
Read something (personal development, the Bible, etc.), and once you’re done reading, close your eyes for 2 minutes to ponder what you read and let it sink in.
Use a guided meditation app to lead you through a meditation each morning.
I hope this was helpful to you; a gentle reminder that your morning routine doesn’t have to be like every other It is about setting aside that 15 minutes and being intentional with that time.
And that’s it – my go-to framework for my morning routine – The Hustle Sanely Morning MAPPING Method! If you want to dive deeper into the MAPPING Method, you can check out the training I did below for only $25:
Interested in checking out the journal that I kept talking about?
If you found this blog post helpful and would like to listen to the full podcast episode, tune in below!
